After four years of calm, Wilson's ideas for UMass draw ire

Wednesday

SPRINGFIELD — The University of Massachusetts president was under fire. His support was slipping, and the structure of the five-campus system was in question.

SPRINGFIELD — The University of Massachusetts president was under fire. His support was slipping, and the structure of the five-campus system was in question.

That was in 2003, just before William Bulger stepped down from the top job at UMass in a feud with then-Gov. Mitt Romney who wanted — among other things — to abolish the office of president.

Bulger left, but the presidency survived.

During the past four years, Jack Wilson has filled the role with hardly a squabble. That suddenly changed two weeks ago, when news of his proposal to restructure the UMass system became public.

Once again, UMass and its president are the center of controversy. But this time, the president finds himself at odds with his own community.

"He's got a big problem to put this back in the box, and I don't think he could put it back in the box," said Ernest May, secretary of the Amherst campus Faculty Senate, which passed a resolution last week expressing "lack of confidence" in Wilson and the trustees.

At issue is Wilson's desire to review how the Amherst campus is run. In the short term, his proposal calls for chancellor John Lombardi to step down in a year and possibly have the president take greater control of the Amherst campus.

Many are angry because they feel Wilson and the board of trustees discussed the idea in a private meeting, an accusation Wilson has repeatedly denied.

The news has also alarmed presidents of UMass-Amherst's four neighboring private colleges, who recently sent a letter to Wilson saying that a "strong and independent chancellor" at the campus is essential to maintain a consortium created by the five schools.

Since Wilson was appointed as acting president following Bulger's departure in September 2003 and then given the job permanently six months later, he has talked about knitting the campuses more tightly together.

"From the beginning, Jack Wilson has been keenly interested in bringing the campuses together where it makes sense, but he also recognizes that they should maintain their individuality," said Robert Connolly, a spokesman for Wilson.

Wilson rose through the university's administrative ranks under Bulger, coming to UMass after a decade-long career as a professor, dean and acting provost at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Bulger hired him in 2001 to create UMassOnline, a major moneymaking source for the university which allows students to take courses on the Internet.

Wilson has also soothed tensions between the university and state lawmakers that percolated under Bulger's administration. He inherited an $80 million deficit, but has since increased state funding and kept student fee increases at or below the rate of inflation.

He's pushed for the university to take a major role in stem cell research, presided over an increase in federal research funding from $323 million to $404 million, and seen the university's endowment double to $300 million during his tenure as president.

And his work has won him kudos from some faculty members.

The president of the Faculty Senate from the Lowell campus sent Wilson a letter of support on behalf of that board's executive committee Tuesday.

"We recognize the work you have done to bring great things to our campus as part of your strategic plan to achieve excellence for the entire UMass system," Ann Marie Hurley wrote to Wilson. "As a faculty, we have enjoyed a positive, mutually respectful relationship with you and the vice presidents."

While Wilson's easy manner and academic persona were welcomed by most faculty and staff members when he took over from Bulger, some suspect he's now just acting at the whim of trustee chairman Stephen Tocco.

"The idea for this was probably all in Tocco's head," May said of the reorganization proposal. "He's expecting Wilson to obey his command. He wants the president to execute what was in his head."

Tocco did not return a call to The Associated Press Tuesday, but has said he and the board support Wilson.

And as long as Wilson maintains that backing, there's little threat to his job, some say.

"There are plenty of presidents who have worked around no-confidence votes from faculty," said Richard Novak, a vice president for the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges. "The key is the support of the board. If he has that support, he will continue."

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